Building Code Illustrated Chpater 7 Fire-Resistive Construction

I'm reading BCI Chapter 7. Fire-Resistive Construction, and I'm kind of overwhelmed. There is so much information. Should I study every single thing for PA exam? I am not sure all the details are relevant to this exam, e.g. fire walls, partitions, and barriers except for the beginning part of the chapter.

Comments

Yong,
No need to memorize things here. When it comes to fire resistive assemblies, your studying will be best spent in understanding when they are used and what they are comprised of. Others on this forum have provided some good sources with regards to wall assemblies - 1 hr vs. 2 hr for example. Know some of those. Know about what makes a high STC rated assembly as well.
When it comes to using these assemblies, you should be able to apply their use to mixed use occupancies, but honestly that's more Chapter 5. Know the basics behind these - extending walls up to deck is an example.
I personally did not experience any questions where I needed to know the specifics of Chapter 7. If you want to study it, I would recommend just being familiar with how it is organized. That way if you get an excerpt of it on the test, you'll know how to navigate it.

To echo David, I also did not see any specific Chapter 7 questions on P&A, but I did get Case Studies that required me to know how to navigate chapters 3, 5, 6, and 10. I don't think you'd be required to recall information off the top of your head down to specific detail, but like David said, knowing the basic concepts, or knowing what content is where, will take you far.